Pity and Fear
by sailing lights
Summary: A story about Azula and her life after the finale. It starts with her in the asylum, pre-Promise #3. Contains some violence, may be considered graphic, but that won't be happening often. Ty Zula is ultimate endgame, as well as Maiko. Other couples wont be as significant to the story, although their characters are included.
1. Chapter One

"Back in your cell," one of her nurses said, pushing her forward. The fallen princess stumbled forward fell to her knees. The nurse shoved Azula forward once more with a foot, slamming her face to the ground. The girl rolled over and screamed incoherently, breathing blue flames at the woman. She slammed the door and smirked self satisfiedly through the barred window before closing the cover and leaving her patient in darkness. Azula growled and tried to use her bound elbows to drag herself to her cot, but she gave up easily. It wasn't worth it anymore.

It was evident no one cared about her, that she was a small, forgotten speck in the world. She was never going to be let out, and never going to get better. Everything she had been, everything she could have been had slipped through her grasp. She deserved better than this treatment, she was the Princess of the Fire Nation! The title of Fire Lord should belong to her; the entire world should be hers!

Instead Zuko sat on her throne, with everything she had won, while she sat in a dark, dirty cell, being given the treatment the Fire Lord deserved.

Azula had thought she would at least be treated well, given respect. Zuko should understand her plight, he was her brother, the supposed good one, but he left her in a prison to rot.

"You're no better than me now, dear brother," Azula muttered. He had left her to waste away, just as she had done to Mai and that stupid circus freak Ty Lee. People who were supposed to love _her_, not Zuko. Everything came back to poor Zuzu, unable to fight his little sister by himself. He didn't deserve what he had; none of them did!

Azula screamed again, her wails echoing off the cold stone walls of her cell. She twisted and withered on the ground, trying to break free of her bonds. If the princess could have _anything _it would be to break out and kill Zuko with her bear hands. No flames, just the wonderful satisfaction of feeling the life drain slowly out of him and watching the fear and struggle in his eyes. Hearing the sizzle of his skin as her hands burned his neck... Maybe she'd have Mai killed during that, so he would have to watch her die and do nothing to help. A sick smile formed on the bender's face and stopped thrashing. Earlier she would've been ashamed to fantasize about anything, but now all she had was the part of her mind she could control. She could almost disappear from the horror of her life.

The acrobat she'd save for last. Azula could go without murdering Zuko if it meant she got to torture that bitch as much as she wanted. Ty Lee was so expressive; it would be a treat to see her face as she fought for her life. And the eyes… Big, shining grey eyes. They shone with innocence and happiness. The first thing she would do is gouge them out.

"Stupid whore," Azula spat, glaring.

"_Azula, don't be angry at Ty Lee. She was only stopping you from killing Mai. You would've regretted it." _

"Ahhh!" The princess contorted her body to face the door, where an illusion of her mother was standing with an apologetic look on her face. It was as though she pitied Azula, something the girl didn't want or need. Azula's face twisted into an angry grimace.

"Don't be angry? She betrayed me, she choose Zuko and Mai over me! Ty Lee was supposed to love _me_! She promised, and she lied! That warrants death."

Ursa kneeled next to her daughter and stroked her hair. _"She does love you, Azula. We all do. Ty Lee just wanted to make sure both of you would get out alive."_ The bender filched away from her mother's touch, hissing at her. "No one loves me; they chose to get rid of me. Send me off into an asylum to die, instead of being strong and just killing me. It would've been better for everyone," she scoffed. Her mother was so stupid, it was a wonder they were related.

"_Azula, don't say things like that! Ty Lee loves you, as do Zuko and Mai. We just want you to get better." _Ursa took Azula's hand but she snatched it away.

"Stop trying to act like you care about me. You think I'm a monster and so does everyone else," The princess sneered, turning away from the illusion. Every time she came she pilled on more lies, trying to convince Azula that she was _loved_. Whatever her goal was, she wouldn't reach it. Nothing anyone said would make Azula trust her mother, or anyone else, again.

"_I do love you, Azula. I'll always love you." _Ursa tried to hug her daughter, but she ripped herself away, struggling to stand and run away from her mother. She stagers to the corner and glares at Ursa, her eyes looking wild and full of rage.

"Stop lying to me! If you loved me, you would've paid attention to me!" Azula collapsed to her knees, tears running down her face. "No one loves me, it's not worth it!" She fell forward, her face in the dirt. Rolling to her side, the princess spat, "I hate all of you."

"Get up, bitch," a rough voice said, kick the princesses ribs. She growled and scowled at him, daring the guard to touch her. He gave a nasty smirk and grabbed her by the hair, pulling Azula up to eye level. She kicked at the man, screaming obscenities and threats.

"How dare you touch the Princess of the Fire Nation! I'll kill you!"

The guard laughed and spat in her face. "You can't do shit. You're not a princess anymore." Nearly inhuman screams rang through the room. Blue fire blasted into the man's face and he dropped Azula to the ground. The princess ran to the door, trying to keep her balance so she could trap the bastard in the room until he died.

More shrieks filled the air as the princess burned the man relentlessly; laughing as his skin bubbled and turned black. When the screams subsided she stopped and walked over to his charred head, smirking madly. Strained, weak breathing could be heard. A rasping voice rose from the figure, trying vainly to form words. Azula kicked him in the ribs and cackled. "You're so stupid. I tried to kill my brother; did you think I'd have any quips about killing you?"


	2. Chapter Two

She was let out of her straight jacket when the therapist came, she didn't know why. He might've asked, he seemed pretty stupid.

Azula sat on a passable bed in a room with a window. It was still made of metal and cold, but it wasn't dirty. Ever since she had killed the guard people have started to fear her again, like they should. Her hair was clean and combed, her clothes changed daily. She was being treated more like a princess and less like gutter trash. But she was still being treated as though her mind was completely lost, like she was a child.

Her therapist, Shuzo, sat on a simple metal chair, looking down and leaning his chin on his hands. "Why did you kill the guard, Princess?"

Azula raised an eyebrow and twirled a strand of hair on her finger. Her nails were, regretfully, bitten down to stubs and dirty.

"He assaulted me," she answered shortly, glancing to his face to read his expression. His expression didn't change, but he adjusted his posture to be straight backed and looked straight as Azula.

"Why did you think you needed to kill him to stop him? Wouldn't he have stopped once he was burned?" The old man didn't question Azula accusingly or with horror like everyone else did. He treated her with the respect and dignity a princess deserved, and _never _spoke to her like she wasn't really there. Shuzo was the only person who Azula had any semblance of respect for, the one person she could ever see herself having an inkling of trust in. She never told him anything.

Azula glared at Shuzo. "How can I be sure he would have stopped? I will **not** risk my life for a peasant." The man sighed and looked at the girl imploringly. "You know that's not the kind of answer I wanted." The princess turned her head to the window, disregarding him. "I told you, Princess Azula, nothing you tell me will be disclosed until you're comfortable with it. You can trust me." Her head snapped up to look Shuzo straight in the eyes. Her own blazed with rage and a small amount of fear, widening with a kind of deranged horror. Azula stood, her hands balled in fists and her body shaking.

"I can't trust anyone! They'll all betray me! And you!" Azula pointed an accusing finger at her therapist and took a step forward, her teeth bared. Shuzo didn't look scared, but sad. He stood and put his hands up as though he was surrendering. The princess was surprised at his calmness; she retracted her hand and narrowed her eyes. When she continued her voice had less rage and cooler, cutting anger. "You throw it all back in my face. I don't know you I shouldn't trust you."

Shuzo clasped his hands and sighed. "I will prove you can trust me. What do you need me to do?" The princess slapped the man across the face, again he showed no fear, just sadness. "Do you think I'm stupid?" She screamed, her face distorted with sadness and rage, tears flowing and clouding her vision. "You think one simple thing can make me trust you?" She let out a forced, evil sounding laugh. "Here's what it'll take: Your life. Are you sure you want my trust, Shuzo?"

_**Don't give him a choice, kill him now. You killed the guard easily. Now him. He's presumed too far, thinking he deserves to even speak to a royal without bowing. **_

The princess looked frantically around to be sure her mother hadn't appeared. No one but her and Shuzo were in the room, but she was nervous. Azula didn't want to break down in front the man; he'd probably want more appointments with her… weekly were enough of a nuisance.

But she couldn't be calm with her father talking, his words ate at her until she couldn't resist anymore. Everything he said made sense, his reasoning flawless. Azula hadn't been stripped of her title; Aang has said it could be her "final breaking point." Stupid Avatar, she was already destroyed. Decimated. A fraction of what she once was, unable to hide behind her mask any longer, the traits that defined her, cunning, manipulative, unreadable, had slipped away. It didn't mean she didn't deserve respect. The blood of Sozin flowed in her veins, and she'd be damned if a peasant didn't bow before her.

Azula swung her leg up over Shuzo's shoulder, forcing him down to the ground. He collapsed with little effort; the man was old and weak. Weakness must be snuffed out…

"You will show me the proper respect. Bow, peasant!" Shuzo bowed, still serene and unfearful, while Azula took her foot from his shoulder. She scowled, angry she wasn't getting a reaction out of him.

"I apologize for my rudeness, Princess. May I have your leave to go?" Azula growled but motioned him out the door, turning away. She counted to thirty, making sure his footsteps were properly fading.

_**You should've killed him! It would've proven to them you can't be disrespected, shown the heathens your true power! **_

"I have no power! My title is meaningless, my allies have deserted me! I'm worthless!" The princess raged, fire erupting from her fists.

_**You're weak. Weaker than Zuko, you can't even mange a peasant. You let trash get the better than you. You're no better than they are. **_ __

Slamming her fist to the door, Azula screamed back at her father.

"I. AM. NOT. WEAK." She collapsed to the floor, dragging her fist against the door slowly, still engulfed in flame.

_**Weak. You can't even stand up to a hallucination… **_The voice faded with a dark laugh. Tears trickled down Azula's face as she saw the usuals appear out of the shadows. Her mother, Ty Lee, Zuko. They all had sad looks on their faces, filled with pity. Azula curled up in a ball, closing her eyes to avoid them. She could still feel their presence, watching, moving closer. A high pitched scream filled the air, nurses came running. The door was shoved open and Azula was pushed to the side. A nurse grabbed her and stuck a needle in her side, remarking in her colony trash accent, "Looks like the shrink made _real _progress." Both nurses giggled shrilly, jerking her around to place her in the straight jacket. Azula went limp, ignoring reality in place of the hallucinations that plagued her.

When they were finished restraining her they threw the princess back on the bed, laughing their shrill laughs, before slamming the door shut. She lay on the bed, unable to move and unwilling to open her eyes in fear of seeming _them_. As she waited for the drug to put her out she could feel their hands on her, stroking her hair, grasping her shoulder. A straggled cry was muffled in the pillow, growing quieter and quieter until the girl passed out, slumped on a bed with nothing but hallucinations for company.


End file.
